"Number one authority on nothing"
Matthew Nash
Contact Matt at mnash@sequimgazette.com
Matthew Nash hails from Portland, Ore., and stumbled into writing for newspapers when his high school allowed him to write movie reviews. Nash is married to a kindergarten teacher. They have one child together who is named after two superheroes.

Some people live under a rock, I've been under a pile of diapers and stuffed animals.
Living in a rural area it's already hard to keep up with what's hip and what the kids are listening to these days.
I try to read music and literary sites daily to discover the latest greatest things but time and money get in the way. So for the record I'm trying to defy the stereotype by expanding my horizons in my old age but I'm finding myself loving what I love — good rock and roll and comic books.
Judge away or feel free to indulge in some of the things I discovered and love from 2012.

Album of the Year:
Murder by Death - "Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon"
Years ago, Murder by Death hooked me with their second album, “Who will survive, and what will be left of them?” From here the band expanded its sound to take on what I can poorly describe as Johnny Cash meets a spaghetti western meets a moody classic horror film. This band is near perfection on every album and this latest effort is no different. “Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon” is an album that you want to listen to all the way through while singing along with a mug of beer or something frothy in hand.

Favorite track: "Ditch Lilly"

Listen here.

Other Favorites:
• Circa Survive – "Violent Waves"
Anthony Green's vocals hooked me in college and are unlike those of anyone I've heard in rock music. He brings an intensity to the band's atmospheric spacey sound that he and Circa Co. improve upon in “Violent Waves” from their nearly flawless 2010 release “Blue Sky Noise.” While fast songs like “The Lottery” include another favorite of mine, Geoff Rickly, singer of Thursday, some of the later, slower tracks like “Brother Song” hold their own. Solid release.
Favorite tracks: "Sharp Practice," "Suitcase," "The Lottery" and "I'll Find a Way."

Listen here. 

 

• Shiny Toy Guns – "III"
Popularized by the song “Le Disko” and appearing on various TV commercials, Shiny Toy Guns sort of rose to the top of the dance-pop scene for a short while, but "III" tops it all. There are a lot of great elements here, especially the reunion with their original lead singer, Carah Faye. "III" plays similarly to a mix tape in that it switches genres and slows down a little bit too much at times, but my favorite part was “Fading Listening,” reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac.

Favorite Track: "Fading Listening"

Listen here.

• Fun – "Some Nights"
I went in-depth about “Some Nights” in a previous blog, but I can say that I overplayed this album to death. The band continues to gain steam, most recently playing "Saturday Night Live" and the president's inauguration ball. I imagine the band never imagined this amount of popularity, but the album has some awesome tracks that I think could be timeless or a good definition of our time, namely “We are Young” and “Some Nights,” their lead singles.
Favorite Track: "All Alright"
Read here.

• Witherow – "Standing on Shoulders"
If you want some local flavor, Witherow, formerly Standing on Shoulders (now the nameof the album) is a band I see going far. Dillan and Abby Mae have constructed some powerful, beautifully moving music that I love listening to and playing on repeat.

Favorite tracks: “Confounded” and “Standing on Shoulders of Giants”

Listen here.

Nostalgia pick
• Further Seems Forever – "Penny Black"
One of my favorite bands from the early 2000s, Further Seems Forever, the emo-rock band reunited with original singer Chris Carrabba (Dashboard Confessional) to my chagrin last year. I loved their first full-length “The Moon is Down” but I think my nostalgia clouded a love for “Penny Black.” There are some standout tracks, but it wasn't entirely cohesive as a whole. However, after 10-plus years of listening to the first album, I'm sure I'll grow to love "Penny Black."
Favorite track: “Engines”

Listen here.

 

Up short
• Sleigh Bells – "Reign of Terror'
Simply put, Sleigh Bells' first album “Treats” blew a lot of minds, but “Reign of Terror” didn't really capture that same energy and originality. I will give a third album a chance though.
Favorite track: “Never Say Die”

Track of the year
• Norah Jones – "Miriam"
Uncharacteristic, scary and utterly beautiful, we love singing along to this morbid ditty like a car full of the Addams Family. “Miriam” is a song about revenge, but Jones downplays it as fun fictional song writing. My wife and I enjoy how it sounds so lovely and then takes a turn for the gritty. Oddly enough my baby son always perks up when he hears it, too. He'll stop whatever he's doing to listen for a bit.

Watch this.

 

Other good rock/pop albums
• Anberlin - "Vital" Listen here.
• Minus the Bear – "Infinity Overhead" Listen here.
• mewithoutYou – "Ten Stories" Listen here.
• Coheed and Cambria – "The Aftermath: Ascension" Listen here.
• Matt and Kim – "Lightning" Listen here.

Look forward to in 2013:
• Tegan and Sara – "Hearthrob" (out 1-29)
• Relient K (untitled)
• Against Me - "Transgender Dysphoria Blues"

Best comic book:
• "Wonder Woman"
Last year, DC Comics, home of "Batman" and "Superman," relaunched all of its comic books to start at No. 1. This met with some controversy as some people have collected many of the titles through their years, namely "Superman" and "Detective Comics" (nearing No. 900). The idea was to start anew (mostly) and shake off some of the old baggage (they try this a lot, actually).
I thought it was ambitious idea and especially in the day and age of a supposed dying print medium. I wanted to give it a try.
Looking through the solicitations, the books that caught my eye were — "Animal Man," "Batwoman" and "Wonder Woman."
Of the three, the one I'll recommend is "Wonder Woman."
Never having a clear identity or a good starting point from my perspective, I felt this was a good opportunity to see what she was all about.

This re-imagining takes a more gods vs. humans approach as it traces Diana/Wonder Woman's origins through the gods. She must confront Apollo, Hades and more as a mystery unfolds and the action amps up. Having no attachment to the character but a curiosity about what could be done with Wonder Woman, this one has me hooked. The writing is great (Brian AZZARELLO), the art is crisp (Cliff Chiang, Tony Akins, Matthew Clark) and I hope DC keeps it going on this path.

Buy from here.

Best graphic novel:
• "Drama" by Raina Telgemeier
When I first moved to town I quickly discovered the local libraries have ample amounts of graphic novels. I would gobble them up and read them through the week. Oddly enough one of the books I grabbed was “The Babysitter's Club” which was adapted by Raina Telgemeier. I enjoyed the art and learned of a newer book “Smile,” the author's sort-of retelling of getting braces.
Her follow-up, “Drama” for obvious reasons focuses on both plays on the word as Callie, a middle school set designer, balances her love life, school and family.
I enjoyed the jokes, how things came together, the story, and Telgemeier taking risks depicting a wide variety of teens.
As an adult, I enjoyed it but I think teenagers would be more privy to the content than younger children as the book delves into topics, namely homosexuality, that some children may not understand or has not been discussed in their homes.
If that kind of content offends you and/or your children, then I recommend the more universally acceptable “Smile.” However, “Drama” is a great follow-up.